In a press release, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty talked up the company's earnings growth while acknowledging the underperformance on sales by announcing that she and her senior team will forgo incentive payments for 2013:

"We continued to drive strong results across much of our portfolio and again grew earnings per share in 2013. While we made solid progress in businesses that are powering our future, in view of the company's overall full year results, my senior team and I have recommended that we forgo our personal annual incentive payments for 2013."

Looking forward, the company expects operating (non-GAAP) earnings per share of at least $18.00 in 2014. Rometty also states that the company is aiming for operating EPS in 2015:

"As we enter 2014, we will continue to transform our business and invest aggressively in the areas that will drive growth and higher value. We remain on track toward our 2015 roadmap for operating EPS of at least $20, a step in our long-term strategy of industry leadership and continuous transformation."

One point of note from the company's earnings press release was this bit on IBM's performance in what it considers its growth markets: